Related

MONTREAL — The man described by industry insiders and civil servants alike as the strongest link between Montreal’s most powerful mob family and local construction bosses flipped that description on its head Wednesday, dubbing himself the Charbonneau Commission’s “weakest link.”

During his third day on the stand before the public inquiry, retired construction boss Nicolo Milioto contradicted numerous key statements from previous witnesses — most notably denying that a small cartel of companies with links to Montreal’s Rizzuto crime family was able to corner the market for sidewalk building and repair.

Milioto also continued to deny that he ever collected a “pizzo,” or tax, from contractors on behalf of the Mafia, or that he was rewarded for those efforts with piles of cash.

The 64-year-old said the inquiry had slapped “an easy label” on him as a mobster after he was caught on tape conversing with Nick Rizzuto Sr. and his entourage.

The fact that the number of companies bidding on municipal sidewalk contracts began plummeting in the mid-1990s — from dozens in 1996 to four by 2009 — can be explained, he said, in that only the most competent players survived.

“If (certain companies) dominate the market, it’s because they are more competitive,” he said.

The dwindling field had nothing to do with the fact that the dominant companies were headed up by men whose families hailed from the same Italian village, Milioto maintained. And it certainly wasn’t linked to the frequent visits paid by those men to a certain café on Jarry St. believed to have served as Montreal’s mob headquarters.

“I don’t see any link,” Milioto said when presented with evidence that Italian businessmen who were regulars at the Consenza Café fared far better in the sidewalk business than others.

“We are of Sicilian origin, OK. We went to the Consenza. In my mind, (those companies) were more competitive,” he added.

“Your survival is not then due to the agreement that you had among yourselves to share contracts?” inquiry lawyer Sonia LeBel shot back.

“No, madame,” Milioto replied.

“Your survival is not then due to the fact that you had links to organized crime, which supervised you and helped you to close that market?”

“No, madame.”

The witness was then presented with phone records showing he had received hundreds of phone calls from the heads of competing companies — including Joey Piazza of TGA Montréal and Michel Leclerc of Terramex Inc. — often around the time that calls for tender would go out on a public contract. Most of the conversations lasted less than a minute.

“It could be for 1,001 reasons,” Milioto said when asked why his rivals were calling him. “They called me about sidewalks, about (local Italian community group) Association Cattolica, about golf.”

During his own testimony, Leclerc claimed Milioto was deeply involved in a system of collusion, and offered him subcontract work if he didn’t bid on certain projects.

Earlier Wednesday, Milioto testified that his particularly close relationship with the now-deceased Rizzuto Sr. was one based on mutual admiration and respect — but that he never benefited financially from their lifelong bond.

“Rizzuto was a good man, to me,” he said. “I respected him.”

When the two men met at the Consenza Café — which was frequently — they talked about things like their families and sports, he said, but it was “nothing important” — and nothing illegal.

And when he and Rizzuto Sr. would take a walk outside and chat, Milioto explained, it was simply to get some fresh air — not to avoid being overheard.Milioto also offered fleeting glimpses into his home life, testifying that he did not talk about his relationships with the Rizzutos and their associates with his wife or children.

“My wife, like a good Italian, didn’t ask any questions,” he said. Women in general did not frequent the cafés and other social venues where he would meet Rizzuto Sr., he added.

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.

Almost Done!

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.